5 Things I Had Never Experienced Before Moving To Lake Charles

Lake Charles is officially my home now. I have been here for over twenty years, and have raised my son here, and my wife and I both have found our professional careers here as well. However, I am originally from Missippi but I have also lived in Alabama, and have had my share of great things and experiences. But when I came to Lake Charles there are so many things that I had never had before. Here are 5 things that I have grown to love since I moved here years ago.

Trailride: 

I had never heard of Zydeco or Cajun music and a trail ride is definitely something that I never had the pleasure of partaking in. One of the very first ones I had the chance to go to was with Chris Ardoin at the Habibi Temple. Now mind you I didn't even know what a trail ride was, but I was hooked from the beginning.  I also at that time had never had Gumbo but became a fan from the first bite. I fell in love with the music and this trail ride was also a Chicken Run so you can imagine what was going through my mind when I saw the kids chasing the chicken and trying the catch it. It was something I'll never forget and I can't wait for the next one to come.

Crawfish:

Before you crucify me about never having Crawfish before I moved here. Let me explain my case of why this happened. Being from Mississippi there wasn't much being talked about from the Seafood family besides Shrimp and Fish. So Crawfish is something that I had no idea about until I moved here and honestly I am still not the best person for peeling Crawfish, but give me ten pounds, and some of the dipping sauce along with some Potatoes and Corn, and I am down for the night.

Boudin:

Alright, a funny story on this one here. When I was getting ready to move here from Alabama a friend who has since passed away told me what Boudin was. But he didn't really know and neither did I and from his description, I didn't think it was something that I would be eating. Now somehow he literally thought or was told that Boudin was made from sewer rats. How he came up with this I don't understand. Needless to say, this kept me from having boudin until it later on in years here and I have not passed on a link or two since then.

Parishes:

Coming from Mississippi all of the outer lying areas are called counties. I am from Meridian which is in Lauderdale County. I had never even known that parishes existed until I moved to Louisiana. I remember the first time on the radio and I was giving out the weather updates and called Calcasieu a county. It took years before I heard the end of that from my peers.

Drive-Thru Daiquiri Shops: This one was a fun one to stumble on, I know that I have taken advantage of a shop or two. There were never and possibly never will be a drive-thru Daiquiri shop in Mississippi. So when I found out that you could actually purchase Daiquiris in a drive-thru I couldn't believe it. Now sure you don't want to be drinking and driving, but getting a nice frosty beverage, and taking it home to enjoy in your secluded area is something you should surely try.

Being in Lake Charles has really been a blast, and being able to meet so many great people and try so many new things has really been a blast. And to think I really thought The Waterboy movie was really a true depiction of Louisiana. I was truly wrong and will gladly admit it to anyone who will listen.